Device for securing oars in a rowboat



Feb. 14, 1950 0. ROGERS 2,497,797

DEVICE FOR SECURING OARS IN A ROWBOAT Filed April 2,, 1947 INVENTOR.

p/ Daniel Rogers.

A TTOPNE'Y Patented Feb. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE DEVICEFOR SECURING DARS INA 5 ROWBOAII Daniel Rogers, White Plains, N. Y.

Application April 2, 1947, Serial No. 738,880

7 Claims. 1

My invention relates to animproved device for securing oars in arowboat. There are many conditions under which a rowboat must be leftunattended. It may, for example, be necessary to moor the boat to awharfor to draw it up on the bank of a pond or stream and leave it over nightor for a longer period. There are many places-where a boat may be leftin this way without danger that theboatitself will be molested butit isusually not safe toleave loose articles, including the oars, inthewboat. The cars are heavy and inconvenient to carry to a safe storage.place and the .general object of the invention is to provide animproved device for securingthe cars in the boat so that they may beleft with the boat with reasonable safety while the boat is not in use.

In the case of some rowboats, such as the lifeboats customarilysupported from davits on passenger steamers, there is little or nodanger that the cars will be intentionally carried away. If they arelaid loosely in the boat, however, they may easily. be misplaced or eventhrown or dropped from the boat, particularly when the boat is launchedduring stormy weather. A further object of the invention is consequentlyto provide a device which may be locked to prevent unauthorized removalof the oars or which may be used simply to secure the cars in place butfrom which the cars may be easily released.

The invention will be better understood from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is aperspective view of a pair of cars secured in a rowboat by a deviceconstructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a view of thesecuring device in position to look a pair of cars to the rowboat seat,the latter being shown in cross section; Fig. 3 is a sectional view onthe line 33 of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views ofdetails.

Like reference characters indicate similar parts in the differentfigures of the drawing.

The oar-securing device of the invention includes a body portion [0having a central top projection ll and two hook-shaped lateralprojections II. The body with its projections is preferably formed froma flat metal sheet and may be produced by a simple stamping operation.It is preferably hardened so that it cannot be easily bent or cut and itis also preferably noncorrosive. It may be formed either ofnon-corrosive metal or of ordinary hardened steel which has beengalvanized or otherwise treated to prevent corrosion.

One of the seats I3 of the rowboat I4 has a narrow slot it slightlylarger than the cross sectional size of the projection ll of the bodyIt. The openings l6 of the hook. shaped projections I2 face upwardlytoward the seat l3 and are slightly larger than the smallest part of ancar which is just beyond the inner end of the car blade as indicated inFig. 2.

In order to secure a pair of cars in a rowboat, the handle ends ll ofthe oars opposite the blades I8 are laideither in the bottom of the boator on a seat adjacent to the seat Hi to which the cars are to besecured, theblades 18 being extended along the bottom of the boat underthe seat IS The smallest portions ii! of the cars just beyond the innerends of the blades [8 are laid in the openings IG of the lateralprojections 12 of the securing device which is then raised with the oarsuntil the top projection It extends through the slot l5 in the seat l3and until the hookshapeduprojections i2 areclose enough to the lowersurface of the seat 13 to prevent removal of the cars. The cars cannotbe removed lengthwise from the body it of the securing device becauseboth the blades [8 and the handle portions H of the cars are larger thanthe openings IS in the hook-shaped sections [2 of the device. The bodyportion ID may be provided with shoulders 20 extending laterally fromthe lower end of the top projection H to limit and determine theuppermost position of the body it] by meeting the lower surface of theseat l3. The top projection ll of the device has a transverse opening 2|near its outer end and extending just above the upper surface of theseat l3 to receive a pin, padlock or the like 22 so that the body It)cannot drop away from the seat 13 and release the cars. A metal plate 23with a substantially flat face and having a narrow slot 26 in alinementwith the slot I5 is secured by bolts 25 with its flat face flush withthe upper surface of the seat. This plate 23 adds strength and preventsinjury and wear by the pin or padlock 22 on the seat surface.

One of the hook-shaped projections l2 of the body ID has an opening 26near its outer end in which a ring 2'! is inserted, the ring 26 alsopassing through an opening in the projecting lower end of one of thebolts 25. Thus, when the cars are released by withdrawing the pin orpadlock 22 and dropping the body In, the plate including the body [0with its top projection H and lateral projections l2 will remainpivotally secured to the boat by the ring 26 so that it cannot be easilymislaid but will always be readily accessible.

The invention provides a device which may be very economically producedand which may be used conveniently and eifectively to secure one or morecars in a rowboat.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with a rowboat seat having an opening, of a metaloar-securing member having a, top projection fitting through saidopening and lateral oppositely extending hook-shaped projections withupwardly facing openings to support a pair of cars below said seat, andmeans engaging said top projection to secure it in the seat opening.

2. The combination with a rowboat seat having an opening, of a metaloar-securing member having a top projection fitting through said openingand a laterally extending hook-shaped projection with an upwardly facingopening to support an car, the outer end of said hook-shaped projectionbeing pivotally secured to said rowboat seat, and means engaging saidtop projection to secure it in said seat opening.

3. The combination with a rowboat seat having an opening, of a metalplate set flush into the upper surface of the seat and having an openingalined with the seat opening, a metal oar-securing member having a topprojection fitting through said. openings and a laterally extendinghook-shaped projection with an upwardly facing opening to support ancar, and means engaging said top projection to secure it in said seatand plate openings.

4. The combination with a rowboat seat having an opening, of a metalplate set flush into the upper surface of the seat and having an openingalined with the seat opening, a bolt securing said plate to the seat, ametal oar-securing member having a top projection fitting through saidopenings and a laterally extending hook-shaped projection with anupwardly facing opening to support an oar, the outer end of said hookshaped projection being pivotally secured to said bolt, and meansengaging said top projection to secure it in said seat and plateopenings.

5. A device for securing a pair of oars in a rowboat, said deviceincluding a metal body portion having a central projection with atransverse opening .and oppositely extending hookshaped lateralprojections for supporting a pair of cars, and a metal plate with asubstantially fiat face and having an opening for said centralprojection, and means for securing said metal plate with its fiat faceflush with the upper surface of a rowboat seat.

6. A device for securing a pair of cars in a rowboat, said deviceincluding a metal body portion having a central projection with atransverse opening and oppositely extending hookshaped lateralprojections for supporting a pair of cars, and means for pivotallyconnecting the outer end of one of said lateral projections to a rowboatseat.

7. A device for securing a pair of cars in a rowboat, said deviceincluding a metal body portion having a central projection with anopening near its outer end and oppositely extending hook-shaped lateralprojections for supporting a pair of oars, and a flat metal plate havingan opening for said central projection, a bolt for securing said platein the upper surface of a rowboat seat, one of said lateral projectionshaving an opening near its outer end, and a ring inserted through saidopening and loosely secured to said bolt.

DANIEL ROGERS.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Matthews July 28, 1931Number

